Marilyn At Rainbow's End: Sex, Lies, Murder, and the Great Cover-up

by Darwin Porter

As an insight into the American experience of celebrity death on the 50th anniversary of the murder of the Love Goddess, biographer Darwin Porter has compiled, after decades of research, an intriguing roundup of the conspiracies and dark secrets behind Hollywood s most notorious mystery: Who Killed Marilyn? This relentless page-turner, a lip-smacking and juicy read, examines the mass hysteria that followed in the wake of Marilyn s assassination. No death in the 20th century, other than that of JFK himself, ever sparked more cover-ups, lies, criminal thefts of vital data (including body parts), bribes, perjury, myths, incompetent investigating, distorted medical records, unauthorized leaks, outrageous rumors, and a blitzkrieg of bizarre books that obscured more than they revealed. Like the sirens of Greek mythology, Marilyn was an irresistible temptress who captivated powerful men. On her road to ruin, the once-vulnerable waif had mutated into a temperamental vixen, seducing and then provoking dangerous men who presided over the economic and military mechanisms of the Free World and the innermost sanctums of organized crime. Filled with rage, hysteria, and depression, and fed up with Jack s lies, Bobby s lies, she sought revenge and mass vindication. Her revelations at an imminent press conference could have toppled political dynasties and destroyed criminal empires. Marilyn had to be stopped. This investigative book treats the reader like a member of the jury, laying out evidence, stripping it of its links to the self-interest of whoever gave it, ad separating what really happened from thousands of distorted and misleading testimonies. The rendering of history s final verdict was, until now, crippled because of eyewitnesses who radically changed their testimonies as many as three times as the years drifted by. Into this steamy cauldron of deceit, Marilyn herself emerges as a most unreliable witness during the weeks leading up to her murder. Her own deceptions, vanities, and self-delusion poured toxic accelerants on an already raging fire. In the aftermath of the shattering events of August 5, 1962, as Marilyn s nude body--the object of the desire of literally thousands of men--was wheeled in for voyeuristic doctors to examine and dissect, a legend was already being born. This new book from Darwin Porter will change, forever, how the world interprets the death and legacy of the most famous actress to ever emerge out of Hollywood.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, True Crime

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2012

About the author

Darwin Porter (1937-) is an American travel writer, producing numerous titles, mostly for the Frommer guidebook series, over a 50-year career span.

Reviews

[Merja Pohjola · Rating 1 out of 5]

Congrats - a new low. Oi you readers, books like this would NOT exist if you didn't read them. This is like a collection of the worst Monroe lies - except for a few, but I bet the author would have included them too if he KNEW... and if he knew anything of his subject; maybe he would have added of bit of facts as well, like that of her empathy and generosity etc... He makes her a crazy addicted whore, but hey, he has got the BEST sources, like Jeanne Carmen, Robert Slatzer and Lena Pepitone et al. Even Ted Jordan got a mention. Shame, shame, shame... okay, I purchased and read it too, but only because I want to know what he claims so I can denounce it, not so that I can spread these lies forward and secretly giggle to myself that "I am a better person than Marilyn Monroe ever was... let her have the sex appeal, I have the brains and at least moderate decency..." Euch. Avoid. Run for your life when you see it and spread the word - that this book should not be read by ANYONE except people who know better. In Marilyn's words... "Those who know me know better." Now... where are the minus stars??????

[Verana Vacchiano · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since the first sentence of a review is usually all that's read by the casual broswer, let me just say that this book is absolute GARBAGE.

With that out of the way, here's why:

First of all, I have read four other Marilyn Monroe biographies. They are ALL far better reads then this Piece of Sh*t (PoS, which the book will henceforth be referred as.) I will explain why later on, and will even list them in order of likeability and honesty (IMO) so you can avoid this PoS at all costs.

Seriously.

It is a very bad book, made obvious if you have even an inkling of knowledge on the woman's REAL life.

AVOID THIS BOOK AT ALL COSTS.

I shouldn't be surprised at how awful this book turned out to be, considering this books starts with a "warning" from the PoS author himself, Darwin Porter, whose only other books are other PoS' on other DEAD celebs (he seems to target dead ones that cannot refute his garbage.) He's exactly the type of sleaze-ball who would put 20 pages of ads for his other books at the end, which he did. This book, and all his others, are so obviously a fame/money grab that it is sickening that I wasted my time and money on it. I feel tricked and cheated into reading the amount of cr*p I did.

His opening warning (in-book read as: "Author's Memo"), states that most of what's in this book is 'direct quotes' either remembered or "written down". This is pretty much Porter telling us that this book is a load of sh*t, he knows it, we may know it, but he's letting us know from the get-go that he'll get away with it, because it's all "sourced" material. Yeah right. I can't even remember what I said to my live-in boyfriend yesterday. How are we suppose to trust the "remembered" conversations of people who weren't even close to Marilyn, 60 years later?

Please.

This "biography" reads like Darwin Porter was writing fanfiction about Old Hollywood, and lumped in some people for "quotes" who barely knew MM herself to make it seem realistic.

This book has no interesting facts and barely any truths, when cross-referenced with my other owned biographies. The only thing this book cares about: sex. Each page has at least twelve references to sex. If the Old Hollywood stars really were as sexually active as PoS Author claims, they would have gotten bored of sex after five months. And would not have achieved anything remotely close to what they did.

I feel bad for Marilyn Monroe after only getting to page 146 of this PoS. If I was famous I would rather not be remembered, if my only other choice was to be remembered as Darwin Porter wishes us to remember MM. Not two pages go by where we are not reminded how much of a (literal quotes here) "c*ocksucker", "wh^re", "sl*t", and sex fiend she was.

Literally. No more. Then two pages. Go by.

There is so much bullshit in this book, that when I got to page 146 I think I only read two true stories, each only taking up a quarter of a page. So combined, that's half a page of truth for 145.5 pages of bull. Wow.

Anyway. I think I will only finish this book to get my money's worth out of it. Then I will burn it so it does not exist anymore and no one will ever have to suffer through this fanfic cr*p.

OTHER BIOGRAPHIES THAT YOU SHOULD READ INSTEAD:

- "Marilyn: the Passion and the Paradox" by Lois Baner.
This book is the most factual I have read, with the most sources. It also has the MOST background information on Marilyn's family and friends. It's also fairly recent and written by a woman not obsessed with the falsities of Marilyn's sex life. Also, her sexual assault at age 8 is looked into in detail in this book, and her assaulter's identity is guessed at based on EVIDENCE. This is probably the most honest biography of MM yet.

- "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe" by J. Randy Toraborrelli
Second most honest book, IMO. There are a lot of details about her addiction to prescription drugs in this one. This one also touches a lot more seriously on her relationships with the Kennedys, and paints it in the most honest light yet - that she had sex with JFK once, and Bobby not at all. (Compared to this PoS where she f*cks JFK AND Bobby continuously, and it's even insinuated that their father Joe wants some of "the good p*ssy". God.) Also, her relationship with her half-sister is a very important detail in this book, which paints an interesting and different picture of MM.

- "Fragments" by Marilyn Monroe herself
This is a collection of Marilyn's poems and thoughts, written down throughout the years by her own hand. This book came to light only after all her writings were found in storage. It's the most honest, since it is writing Marilyn wrote without any reason to fabricate. However, there are only a few lines at best. Most of it is unrelated thoughts she had. While an interested peak into her mind for the casual fan, for the obsessive it shows MM for what she really was: an intelligent and hurt girl, struggling through her own thoughts.

- "Marilyn Monroe Private and Confidential" by Michelle Morgan
This book was really good, but it's not as sourced as other biographies and there were a few PoS tinglings in this book as well, but for the most part it was well-written and painted a new, albeit not entirely unique, picture of Monroe. It's interesting, but nothing stands out about this biography particularly.

Please do not read "Marilyn at Rainbow's End."

Please do not trust people if they like this book and think it is a proper source of information on MM.

Thank you.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I thought it was one of the best books on Marilyn that I've ever read. I didn't want to put it down. I don't know if I believed every story that was told; while I know that she was no prude, I also don't believe she was as big of a slut that the book made her out to be. Of course, I wasn't there, so I could be wrong. Definitely a good read, makes me sad every time I read a book on Marilyn, even though I always know the ending is death :( Very good, and hopefully we have finally found out the mystery behind her untimely death.

[Sprout117 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll make this a pretty quick and blunt review: yes, I'm a fan of Marilyn but I'm also a bit of a tabloid reader and this reads like a tabloid. Can I believe every piece of it? Probably not. Was it holding my attention better than expected. Definitely. This is a guilty pleasure that doesn't paint Marilyn in the best light, but who cares? It's thought provoking and if you are reading it you probably already love her anyway.

[Bart · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book succeeds so thoroughly at being dreadful on each of its nearly 500 pages, and is so much worse than Darwin Porter's Brando Unzipped, that it brings a reader to this question: Did all Porter's talents abandoned him, or did Marilyn Monroe and all her lovers think and speak in only cliches?

[Christine Dosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is there anything below one star, like minus 10? I finished it because I wanted to conquer the hugeness if it and see what the ultimate fiction was. But I had to put it down many, many times while I read things that were worthy of spending time on. Yuck. Don’t waste your time. I’m sorry I did.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

****Fun Read But Beware: BP Will Likely Rise Due To Large Salt Consumption Needed To Accept its Content!

This book is definitely not for everyone for a number of reasons. A big one being that much of what is presented about Monroe and many other famous people in her life cannot be documented since almost all of them were dead before this book was published. If this isn’t a big issue to you (and it wasn’t to me), then sit down, fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a very fun read.

Reading Marilyn At Rainbow’s End by controversial author Darwin Porter will remind many readers old enough to remember of Confidential magazine, a once popular Hollywood gossip rag. That’s because the book is filled with salacious gossip,sex, sex, more sex and an interesting theory about why Monroe’s death wasn’t by suicide...but rather by a well-covered up murder.

To Porter’s credit, no matter how much you believe about what is presented and no matter how many times your eyes might roll about who did and said what, I think most readers will find this book to be a fun read. This is due to Porter writing in a style designed to evoke that Confidential feel where things might not be true, but don’t you wish they were?!. I felt that most of the stories Porter tells about Monroe’s life and her relationships were fresh and unique, leaving it up to the reader to suss out what they want to believe.

Without question the author and/or it’s publisher could have done a better job correcting some of its inaccuracies, spelling errors and repetitiveness, and for this I deducted one star from my overall rating. These issues were, for me, more than outweighed by the book’s making me feel like a part of the party of the time period; as well as by the author saying to its audience “take it or leave it.” While I didn’t buy into every story Porter was telling in this book, I always found it to be a book that I had difficulty putting down.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, albeit a bit smutty. Held my attention, as I’ve always believed Marilyn was murdered. Has conversations I wasn’t aware happened and gave a clue as to what might have happened. Definitely giving this to a friend to read!

[Dennis McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this book truth or fiction? I can't tell. Most likely a mix, but what are the proportions? 70% this, 30% that? Hard to say, especially given all the quotes which can't possibly be 100% accurate (no footnotes provided).

There are numerous typos and errors in the book that are incredibly distracting (intentionally?), and more importantly, there is no way to verify the claims being made via Marilyn's allegedly tapped-phone tapes.

After reading about a third of the way thru, the sordid sex scenes seemingly among everybody (hetero and homo), became all too boring. So I skipped to the chapter on Marilyn's alleged murder. The scenario presented abut how that murder was orchestrated, and executed, and by whom, seems feasible, but not conclusive.

I must say, however, that how the author relayed Marilyn's description of having sex with JFK was in sync with what I learned from a reliable source who said that actress Angie Dickinson told him that sex with JFK was 'the greatest two minutes of my life.'

Worth a read? I'd say yes. Especially for Marilyn fans.

Poor Marilyn. Such a tortured goddess.

[shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed. It reads like a trashy tabloid, fun for the summer but I tired of the gossipy secrets quickly. Most of his stories are unsubstantiated, unlike several other Marilyn biographies I've read recently where stories are documented by either several sources or by written interviews or letters. After Marilyn's seemingly hundredth sexual encounter, one with every A-list celebrity in Tinseltown, I decided that I didn't believe the author's claims enough to even finish the book and finally get to the "real secrets" behind her death (I was almost 400 pages in, by the way, and still hadn't gotten near her death or the claims made on the cover of the book). The stories are disjointed and outrageous. If you are interested in the controversy surrounding Marilyn's death, there are better books out there. If you are interested in a trashy, poolside read to take the place of Celebrity Life and Style magazine, pick it up.

[Scoop Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book often reads like the lead story on the National Inquirer and that is my biggest objection. However, it does provide insight into her life of hedonistic abandon played out amidst the power struggles of the most influential and dangerous men on earth. Marilyn continued her desperate dance even as the conflicting strategies of these battles squeezed her tighter and tighter. Was she murdered? My personal opinion is yes. But I don't think this book is likely to change the opinion of those who think otherwise, especially in light of its tabloid style.

[Courtney Herondale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loooove Marilyn Monroe and I loved the way that this book delves into the other side of her life. I find most of the books written about her all seem reminiscent of eachother. This one I felt was different and well written.

[Gary R Borman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enticing reading! Could not stop until the end

I always knew Marilyn was Murdered. The Kennedy brothers were her biggest mistake. If you are a prude , do not read ! This is not a fairy tale with a happy ending.

[Dna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute trash. I loved every word. But please note, this is NOT non-fiction.

[Andrea]

Truthfully, the only reason I'm reading this somewhat trashy book is due to the fact that as a teenager I housesat for the widow of the man who discovered Marilyn Monroe, David Conover. I was disappointed to read the inaccuracies of the details about his involvement with the original Norma Jean, and it made me question the validity of the book.